Fine Gael TD for Cork South Central, Jerry Buttimer, has said that a new €9 million international tourism marketing initiative will reach a worldwide audience of 20 million people, and should help to significantly boost visitor numbers to Cork and the surrounding region.
“This initiative, announced by the Minister for Tourism, Leo Varadkar, will see a veritable blitz of media outlets across the globe, from Europe to Asia and the US, promoting Ireland as a world class winter tourism destination. Joint campaigns between Tourism Ireland and a list of private operators will reach an audience of 20 million potential overseas visitors.
“It’s hugely welcome that companies such as Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Irish Ferries and a number of international tour companies have come on board to co-fund the campaigns. Tourism Ireland’s funding is being sourced from the air travel tax.
“The marketing campaigns will be launched on a number of fronts. Promotions will be run by both Ryanair and Aer Lingus highlighting attractive routes between here and mainland Europe. Ads will run in major national and regional newspapers and on radio stations in the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the Nordic region.
“The campaigns will also tap into the online nature of the travel business, with prominent exposure for Irish destinations on leading travel websites such as Expedia and Hotels.com. The lucrative US, Asian and Australia markets will also be targeted in a bid to drive business over the winter period. A campaign will run in five gateway cities in America, while the Government’s new Visa Waiver Scheme will be promoted in emerging markets.
“I am delighted that this campaign has been launched and I think it offers real potential to attract extra visitors to Cork over the coming months. Irish tourism is already showing encouraging signs of recovery, with overseas visitors up almost 12% in the first seven months of the year. Minister Varadkar’s initiative will allow us to capitalise on this growth, with the potential for a huge boost in tourists numbers.”